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The Red Devils' boss is mimicking the Gunners' head coach by being a clear communicator and backing up his words with strong actions

Manchester United fans had more than 24 hours to digest their encouraging 2-2 draw at Liverpool when the club's X account signed off for the evening with a short message that encapsulated the mood around Ruben Amorim: 'Trust the process.' The three words were accompanied by a picture of a soaking wet Amorim at Anfield looking into the distance. Perhaps at a brighter future, when fans and pundits will be toasting the progress he has made and looking back at the dynamic display on Merseyside as a real turning point.

It did not take long, however, for users to recall that United's social media team had produced an identical message in support of Amorim's predecessor Erik ten Hag back in February 2023, after another 2-2 draw with a local rival in Leeds. Back then United were in the ascendancy and it was a little easier to trust in the process than it is now, with the Red Devils 13th in the Premier League table, 12 points off the top five and having won four out of 12 matches under their new coach.

But a look at United's next opponents and their manager offers hope that they are following the right path under Amorim. Mikel Arteta is the manager most associated with 'Trust the process', a phrase he never actually used but came closest to saying when speaking after an FA Cup quarter-final win at Sheffield United in 2020. The Spaniard said back then: "We still have a massive gap to fill in, we have to improve a lot in many departments. We have to respect the process, it's been really difficult, stop-start, stop-start but we'll get it right, I'm convinced of that, we need a little bit of time as well."

The phrase has been used as a stick with which to beat Arteta by Arsenal fans and rival supporters whenever things have taken a turn for the worse but, for all the mocking he has received for being associated with that particular slogan, the Spaniard has been proved right. In five years he has completely reshaped Arsenal and turned them from a club with no direction into one of the leading forces in English and European football. United fans would surely sign up to their team following a similar path under Amorim in a few years, challenging for the Premier League title and going deep in the Champions League.

Amorim has not yet been United manager for two months but there are already plenty of similarities between his style of management and Arteta's which should give the Red Devils reason to keep the faith and trust the process…

GettyBig performances in big games

Both Arteta and Amorim faced the daunting task of inheriting a mess at a huge club in the middle of the season, with barely any time to get their ideas across to their players on the training ground due to the unrelenting schedule. Arteta's first season in charge with Arsenal was full of frustrating results and he did not make immediate progress when he succeeded Emery in December 2019, winning just one of his opening eight league games, including failing to beat Burnley, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace.

But the one game he did win in that spell was against United and it was one of the best performances of his first season in charge of the Gunners. It was not the only big result of his first term, as his side knocked Manchester City out of the FA Cup semi-finals and then beat Chelsea, who had finished four places and 10 points above them in the league, in the FA Cup final.

Amorim's start to life at Old Trafford has also witnessed some terrible results, including home defeats by Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Newcastle and an infuriating surrender at Wolves. But he has also pulled off a stunning late win at Manchester City and saw his side come agonisingly close to snatching victory at Anfield. The United manager admitted to feeling annoyed after the game at Liverpool because it begged the question why his side could not have played with the same passion in their other games. But as Arteta's record shows, being able to produce in the games that matter the most is a good sign.

AdvertisementGettyCommunicating well

Arteta and Amorim have two things in common when it comes to their communication style. They both are skilled orators and they have the good fortune to have succeeded coaches who struggled to get their message across. Arteta's predecessor Unai Emery had a patchy level of English when he took the Arsenal job in 2018 and he was cruelly mocked on social media for beginning every interview by saying "Good Ebening". He also made easy, albeit funny, linguistic mistakes, such as calling Petr Cech "a very big person" when he meant to say "a very good person".

Arteta hails from the same province in the Basque country as Emery but whereas the latter had never previously lived in England when he stepped into the Arsenal dugout, the former had lived in England or Scotland since 2002 and had an excellent grasp of the language. And it showed in his first press conference as Gunners boss before facing Everton.

Arteta made the obvious statement of saying he felt "back at home" in his unveiling but he also addressed the problems that had beset Arsenal in the last few years of the Arsene Wenger era and under Emery. He said the team needed to "change the energy", he talked of "engaging everybody" and he warned: "If you don't have the right culture, in the difficult moments, the tree is going to shake."

Amorim also impressed the media in his first press conference as United boss and talked in similar terms to Arteta when he said: "As a coach you have to choose one way or another, I choose always 100 percent our way. There is no second way." The Portuguese continued to preach the same message as his reign continued, talking of the importance of "the way you train, the way you dress" after leaving Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of the squad for the Manchester derby.

Getty Taking a hard line

And both managers have been true to their word, having no qualms about moving on some of their best players when it became clear they did not fit with the culture they were trying to build. Arteta took on Mesut Ozil, at the time the club's best-paid player, early on in his tenure after the German refused to agree to a pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic. He sidelined the playmaker from that moment on and he never played for Arsenal again, terminating his contract six months early in January 2021.

Just two months later Arteta made the surprising call of dropping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against Tottenham due to the striker's apparent lack of punctuality and the following December he stripped him of the captaincy for returning late from a trip to France. Weeks later Arteta urged the club to cut their losses and pay up the player's contract so he could join Barcelona on a free transfer.

It was a remarkably bold move against a player who had signed a bumper new deal the previous season and who had been the talisman of their FA Cup win. But the move sent out a message that no player could defy the manager.

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GettyCultural reset

The similarities between those cases and Amorim's treatment of Marcus Rashford are striking. Rashford became one of United's highest earners when he signed a new contract in the summer of 2023 and had an even bigger standing within the club than Aubameyang or Ozil due to being a homegrown player. But Amorim does not like the player's attitude towards training, namely the fact he went on a night out shortly before the game against Everton, and is not willing to play him until he sees an improvement.

Rashford scored twice in that game against Everton, as well as the first goal of the Amorim era, but the coach cannot hope to rebuild United if certain players are flouting their usual responsibilities and not preparing for matches as they should.

Arsenal have made real progress since sending Ozil and Aubameyang on their way and history has proven Arteta right, with the midfielder retiring at the age of 34 in 2023 and the striker now playing his football in Saudi Arabia. Removing the brilliant yet tempestuous personalities from the club was crucial to the cultural reset he talked about on day one.

Only time will tell if Rashford can turn his flagging career around, but Amorim is absolutely right to sanction his departure in January, even if it means making a big loss.

Parkinson takes 5-41 to claim nine for the match but hosts face big deficit

ECB Reporters' Network31-Aug-2021Kent 232 and 210 for 9 (Stevens 55*, Parkinson 5-41) lead Leicestershire 109 (Logan 3-9) by 333 runsKent did not register a win in the conference segment of the LV=Insurance County Championship but are in a strong position to remedy that at the halfway stage of their opening divisional fixture against Leicestershire.On a turning pitch, Callum Parkinson, the Leicestershire left-arm spinner, took 5 for 41, yet at 210 for 9 in their second innings when bad light curtailed the second day with 22 overs unbowled, Kent had built a lead of 333.Chief contributor was the veteran all-rounder Darren Stevens with a masterful unbeaten 55 after Jack Leaning had added 34 to his first-innings 75 not out and Jordan Cox made 38.Earlier, Leicestershire had been dismissed for 109, the wickets shared mainly between seamers Grant Stewart and Matt Milnes, who took three apiece, and another left-arm spinner, 23-year-old James Logan, who returned 3 for 8 from 8.1 overs in his second first-class match for Kent after being released by Yorkshire last autumn.Five down for 66 overnight, Leicestershire achieved their objective of avoiding the follow-on but lost the remainder of their wickets within an hour and a half.Milnes dismissed Louis Kimber and Ben Mike in his first two overs, both lbw. Logan claimed his second and third successes as Leicestershire lost their last three wickets in the space of 12 balls, Parkinson given out leg before and Chris Wright top-edging a paddle-sweep gently to second slip. In between, Will Davis edged Stewart to third slip.Ed Barnes was Leicestershire’s top scorer with 22 not out, an innings interrupted by a bang on the head from a short ball by Milnes that saw him leave the field for concussion checks. Happily, he was cleared to return at nine wickets down, confirming his well-being by hitting Stewart for back-to-back fours.With Zak Crawley looking in good touch, Kent added 49 to their lead in 15 overs without loss but the introduction of Parkinson’s at the pavilion end brought an immediate dividend for the home side as a beautiful delivery took the England batsman’s off stump. Joe Denly was leg before to Mike and Parkinson quickly picked up a second wicket as Cox edged to slip.As Parkinson changed ends, Barnes had Sam Billings caught behind with his first ball and bowled Ollie Robinson, reducing Kent to 142 for 5 but by the time rain forced an early tea the lead was 271.The final session brought two more wickets each for Parkinson and Barnes but 45-year-old Stevens drew on all his experience to hit a six and nine fours in an innings of controlled positivity that may be decisive in the match.

Celtic have enjoyed a sensational start to the 2024/25 campaign by winning all eight of their competitive matches in all competitions, conceding just four goals.

The Hoops have won all five of their games in the Scottish Premiership and are yet to concede a single goal, as Brendan Rodgers targets a second successive title since his return to the club last summer.

Because of the club’s success and the huge standards in the first-team squad, it is incredibly difficult for young players to make the breakthrough from the B team to the senior group.

One player who appeared to be on his way to bridging the gap was Ireland youth international Rocco Vata, before his exit from Parkhead in the summer transfer window.

Rocco Vata's potential

The 19-year-old starlet scored 23 goals in 34 appearances for Celtic B and was given opportunities in the first-team by Ange Postecoglou and Rodgers.

Vata scored his first goal for the senior side under the Northern Irish head coach last term, against Buckie Thistle, and ended his career at Parkhead with that being his only strike in six appearances.

The teenage whiz opted to turn down the chance to sign an extension at Paradise and signed for Championship side Watford, with compensation to be agreed between the two teams due to his age, and he came off the bench for the Hornets in their 2-1 League Cup defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday night.

Vata appeared to be a great prospect for Celtic, given his 23 goals for the B team and his smattering of first-team outings, but will now not have the chance to fulfil his potential at Parkhead.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Rodgers, however, may already have a bigger talent than the 19-year-old Irishman brewing in the academy in the form of centre-forward Daniel Cummings.

Daniel Cummings' goal record for Celtic

The 18-year-old star, who only turned 18 in April, has been in prolific form for the B team in the 2024/25 campaign, with a stunning 12 goals in eight appearances.

Cummings has scored ten goals in seven Lowland League games this term, and also fired in 12 goals in 19 Lowland League matches last season, which means that the forward has racked up 22 goals in his last 26 league appearances for the B team.

That works out as a goal every 1.18 Lowland League games on average, compared to Vata’s return of 23 goals in 34 matches for the same team – a goal every 1.48 matches on average.

The Scotland U17 international has scored two goals and provided one assist in six appearances in the UEFA Youth League, whereas Vata only managed one goal and zero assists in 12 outings in that competition for Celtic.

These statistics suggest that Cummings, who is a year younger than the Watford man, has the potential to be a greater goal threat as a centre-forward, as he outperformed his former teammate in the same competitions.

It is now down to the 18-year-old marksman to prove to Rodgers, if given the opportunity, that he has a future as a regular starter for Celtic, as he could be a star for the Hoops if his B team form can be translated to the first-team.

Sold for £20m: Celtic struck gold selling ace who's now worth millions less

The Hoops hit the jackpot when they decided to cash in on the centre-forward.

ByDan Emery Sep 25, 2024

Ex-Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has reportedly "completed paperwork" to switch international allegiance from England to Jamaica.

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Greenwood switches allegiance to JamaicaPlayed one match for EnglandDebut date for The Reggae Boyz revealedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per the , Greenwood has signed all the necessary paperwork to switch allegiance from England to Jamaica. The Marseille forward reportedly took the decision to represent the Jamaican national team after the FA made it clear that he would never be picked for the England team again.

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Greenwood qualified to represent The Reggae Boyz through his father, who was born in the Caribbean nation. Also, his only appearance for the Three Lions came when he was still under the age of 21 in 2020, which allows him to switch allegiances as per FIFA rules. The 23-year-old's international career has been in limbo since he was arrested on suspicion of rape and assault in January 2022. He was later charged with attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but all charges against him were dropped in February 2023.

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Jamaica, now managed by former England boss Steve McClaren, are all set to play two matches next month, however, Marseille won't let Greenwood leave as the matches will be friendlies. He is expected to make his debut for Jamaica during their World Cup qualifying games in June.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MASON GREENWOOD?

The Marseille star, who moved to Stade Velodrome from Man Utd on a permanent deal last summer, will be back in action for his club on Sunday as the French giants face Nice in a crucial Ligue 1 clash.

Australia lost both openers after India declared early in the second session

Annesha Ghosh02-Oct-2021A high-octane second session in which Jhulan Goswami’s epic two-spell new-ball burst accounted for Australia’s openers headlined day three of the standalone pink-ball Test in Carrara. Ellyse Perry, who shortly before India’s declaration on 377 for 8 had become the first woman with the double of 300 wickets and 5000 runs in international cricket, rode her luck through her 98-ball 27 to carry the hosts to 143 for 4 at stumps, 85 behind the follow-on target of 228.A booming inswinger from Goswami crashed into left-hander Beth Mooney’s leg stump in the seventh over and when she returned for her second spell in the 23rd over, she renewed her battle against Alyssa Healy, who had creamed her for a crackling cover-driven four five balls into Australia’s innings. In her second burst, Goswami, in the space of three balls, beat Healy’s defence with one that came back in, hurled a bouncer into the opener’s front shoulder, and drew a faint outside edge with an outswinger to leave Australia at 63 for 2.Meghna Singh complemented Goswami in a fiery 12-over pace-bowling opening charge. The pink ball, which India had their first brush with only two days out from the start of this day-night fixture, moved in the hands of the pair and later Pooja Vastrakar, who, on the night, delivered her most incisive performance with the ball in international cricket yet, taking out captain Meg Lanning – albeit via an erroneous lbw decision – among her two wickets.Vastrakar set up a riveting battle against Lanning, who struck three fours – including a trademark square drive and an emphatic pull – en route to 17, when she survived two edges off back-to-back Vastrakar deliveries: Deepti Sharma shelled a thick outside edge at gully before a leading edge landed in an unpatrolled area at short cover.Left-arm spin, a missing component in India’s attack in their drawn Test against England in June, was deployed to good effect in the form of Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who remained wicketless for her 12 overs, but beat Lanning’s outside edge twice, including a dropped chance by the wicketkeeper off the final ball before tea.Ellyse Perry celebrates her 300th international wicket alongside Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham•Getty ImagesGoswami challenged Perry, taking an inside edge precariously close to her stumps on 2 and then beating her front-front drive’s outside edge. With Australia on 86 for 3, Perry survived an lbw appeal on 8, with replays showing Gayakwad taking top of leg in what eventually proved to be a pad-bat front-foot block.After Lanning’s departure, a steady rebuild had ensued via a Tahlia McGrath-Perry stand, before McGrath’s uppish cut to Smriti Mandhana at point gave Vastrakar a well-deserved second wicket.Aggressive tactical ploys from India captain Mithali Raj bookended the day’s play, both in the form of attacking field placements inside the circle and repeated insistence on swapping the wet ball with dry ones before a final burst from the three quicks post-tea.The opening session of the day had been largely sluggish, with Australia picking up just two wickets before dinner, the second of those, Vastrakar’s scalp, being Perry’s 300th international wicket to go alongside 5000 runs. Australia also dropped two chances, which meant India gathered 83 runs in a session spanning 40.4 overs, going into the session break at 359 for 7, which had already become the highest by any visiting side against Australia.Deepti put on 45 with Taniya Bhatia, building on India’s overnight score of 276 for 5. Before Perry removed Vastrakar for 13 at the stroke of the dinner break, Stella Campbell offered a reverie-snapping breakthrough with her second ball of the day. The tall debutant’s nagging fourth-stump line, helped by healthy bounce and carry off the drop-in surface, forced Bhatia to prod at the outswinger for wicketkeeper Healy to gobble it up, and give the 19-year-old her maiden Test wicket. She clocked 124kph with that delivery.Having picked up her first wicket of the series in the second session of the truncated day two, Perry almost had a second with her third ball of the day. An inswinger, Perry’s yorker, struck right-hander Bhatia on toe on the off-and-middle line, but there was hardly an appeal for lbw. From that lifeline on a duck, Bhatia, playing her first match since the ODI series against England, unfurled an array of cover drives and cuts before perishing to Campbell.Deepti then added 40 with the Vastrakar, playing mostly risk-free against spinners and pacers alike, riding on five scares since day two, including two close shaves past first-slip Lanning. The closest of them was when, on 24, she nearly chopped on and her attempt to brush the ball, rolling millimetres away from the off stump, almost put her in further jeopardy. A single off her 148th ball took her to her second straight Test fifty, the previous having anchored a rescue act against England. After she was given out when India batted on briefly after dinner, replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg. In the absence of DRS, the umpire’s call couldn’t be challenged.With just the fourth day left in the game, chances of a second drawn Test for India this year – extending their unbeaten streak to six in the longest format – seems the likeliest outcome.

After failing to win once in their first seven Premier League games, Crystal Palace’s luck doesn’t seem set to change anytime soon, with former top-flight scout Mick Brown now claiming that the Eagles may have to sell Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Crystal Palace transfer news

Those at Selhurst Park have been suffering the impact of Michael Olise’s summer departure in full, having failed to win once in the league despite looking like a side ready to cause plenty of upsets at the start of Oliver Glasner’s tenure last season. Their fortunes failed to change against league-leaders Liverpool last time out too, with Diogo Jota’s goal enough to see the Reds earn all three points at Selhurst Park.

With the likes of Ismaila Sarr, Eddie Nketiah and Maxence Lacroix all arriving in the summer, as Palace spent big following Olise’s sale, Glasner must turn things around after the international break, before hoping that Palace manage to avoid any further major exits in 2025.

Former Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United scout Mick Brown believes that may not be the case, however, after hearing that Jean-Philippe Mateta is demanding as much as £100,000-a-week to sign a fresh deal at Selhurst Park.

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ByTom Cunningham Oct 10, 2024

The former scout told Football Insider: “I have to say, he’s made massive improvements all around. He hit that purple patch where he couldn’t stop scoring and he looked like a totally different player. Whether that’s a flash in the pan and he reverts to his previous level, time will tell.

“£100,000 per week seems a lot to me. I know Olise was on around that and Eze is as well, but is Mateta as important as those two players were? To be honest, I don’t think Palace will fork out that sort of money for him. It’s down to his agent, though. They’ll be driving things. They’ll see what other players are getting and they’ll want the same for their client.

“I don’t think Palace will be held to ransom over it, if he won’t sign a new deal then he’ll have to be sold, but it will be on their terms.”

Nketiah's arrival eases any potential Mateta blow

On £100,000-a-week, Mateta would sit alongside Eberechi Eze and Dean Henderson on Crystal Palace’s wage bill and only behind summer arrival Daichi Kamada, who reportedly earns £105,000-a-week. And given that the Frenchman is the Eagles’ main talisman and arguably played a role of similar importance to Eze last season, his reported demands aren’t exactly far-fetched.

That said, as Brown claimed, Palace won’t be held to ransom and the arrival of Nketiah in the summer means that they’d have an instant replacement lined up for their star striker. The former Arsenal man has only shown glimpses of his quality thus far at Selhurst Park, but if Glasner is left with no choice but to hand him the main role permanently, then Nketiah could thrive.

Nonetheless, without a Premier League win all season, any potential major departures would spell more trouble for Crystal Palace.

Offspinner suffered a minor head knock in the field after bowling 20 overs in an intrasquad game on Tuesday

Alex Malcolm20-Oct-2021Australia offspinner Nathan Lyon suffered a mild concussion while fielding during a New South Wales intra-squad match in Sydney on Tuesday, but is expected to be available for their opening Sheffield Shield match against Victoria on October 27 at Drummoyne Oval.Lyon knocked his head while fielding on the opening day of a three-day trial game at Hurstville Oval. He bowled 20 overs and took 1 for 79 on the day but is understood to have woken up with a headache on Wednesday morning and will sit out of the remainder of the three-day game as a precaution.Cricket Australia has announced the next set of Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup fixtures with the New South Wales and Victoria border finally opening on Wednesday.The two teams will play against each other in back-to-back Shield matches on October 27 at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney and on November 5 at the MCG. They will also play a Marsh Cup game on November 12 at the MCG.Related

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Lyon and other Australia Test hopefuls such as Sean Abbott, Moises Henriques, Marcus Harris and James Pattinson are set to be available for at least the two Shield games but any Test squad member will then need to do 14 days quarantine in Queensland before the first Ashes Test against England.There is no word yet on whether Will Pucovski will be available for Victoria after suffering a concussion last week.Meanwhile, Queensland will finally get to return home after the Western Australia government re-opened the border to Queensland following last month’s Covid outbreak in Brisbane. Tasmania and WA will travel to Queensland for Shield and Marsh Cup games in Townsville and Brisbane respectively.WA will host South Australia before that at the WACA in Perth. There are still plans for a third Sheffield Shield fixture between NSW and Victoria to be scheduled before the BBL starts in December but it is yet to be finalised.Marsh Sheffield Shield
Oct 27-30: Western Australia vs South Australia – WACA Ground
Oct 27-30: Queensland vs Tasmania – Riverway Stadium, Townsville
Oct 27-30: New South Wales vs Victoria – Drummoyne Oval
Nov 5-8: Victoria vs New South Wales – Melbourne Cricket Ground
Nov 10-13: Queensland vs Western Australia – Gabba
Nov 10-13: Tasmania vs South Australia – Blundstone ArenaMarsh One-Day Cup
Oct 25: Western Australia vs South Australia – WACA Ground
Nov 1: Queensland vs Tasmania – Riverway Stadium, Townsville
Nov 12: Victoria vs New South Wales – MCG (Day/Night)
Nov 15: Queensland vs Western Australia – Gabba (Day/Night)

Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs, meaning that Celtic must take on Harry Kane and Bayern Munich.

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Guardiola’s side face toughest of testsPSG lining up against BrestEight places in the last-16 up for grabsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Premier League title holders City, who claimed a continental crown as part of their historic Treble triumph in 2022-23, face the toughest of tests against the reigning kings of Europe as a result of only being able to muster a 22nd-place finish in the league stage. Celtic ended one spot higher than the Blues, but face an epic challenge of their own against prolific England striker Kane and the current Bundesliga leaders.

AdvertisementCHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT PHASE PLAY-OFF DRAW IN FULL

Man City vs Real Madrid

Celtic vs Bayern Munich

Juventus vs PSV

Feyenoord vs AC Milan

Brest vs PSG

Monaco vs Benfica

Club Brugge vs Atalanta

Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund

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Elsewhere, AC Milan – with Kyle Walker joining USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah at San Siro – will take on Feyenoord. Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, who are still pursuing an elusive first Champions League title, must overcome domestic rivals Brest in order to reach the last 16.

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The other ties at this stage of the competition will see Monaco lock horns with Portuguese heavyweights Benfica. There is an intriguing tussle between Sporting CP and Borussia Dortmund, while Atalanta – who continue to win plenty of admirers – are preparing to take on Club Brugge.

Arsenal scouts have been left impressed by a 20-year-old target who could potentially be the successor to Thomas Partey in north London, according to one report.

Arsenal set for midfield reshuffle in 2025

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side have bought at least one midfielder every single season since the Spaniard’s arrival as head coach, and are almost certain to continue that trend in 2025 as they search for a successor to Thomas Partey.

The Ghanaian arrived from Atlético Madrid in a deal worth £45m back in 2020, but has only shown glimpses of the player he appeared to be in Spain during an injury-hit time at the Emirates Stadium.

He has only managed more than 24 appearances in a Premier League campaign once, and has missed vital chunks of almost every season through various issues. Turning 32-years-old at the end of this season, his £200,000 a week deal in north London will also be up, and it has been reported that he will not be offered fresh terms at Arsenal, leaving as a free agent when his contract expires.

Meanwhile, Jorginho will be 33-years-old and also out of contract, though in his case there is an option to extend his deal by a further year. Nonetheless, there will be a clear gap in Arsenal’s ranks with club-record signing Declan Rice seemingly preferred further forward by Arteta.

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ByEthan Lamb Oct 21, 2024

It means that the club have been looking for replacements, and may well now have just found the perfect option.

Arsenal scouts impressed by 20-year-old gem

That is according to The Boot Room, who claim that Arsenal have been left impressed by Brighton youngster Carlos Baleba, and are “scouting” him ahead of the January transfer window.

They are one of several clubs that have been “impressed with Baleba’s recent form” and have to this point “maintained a watching brief” on the 20-year-old, who has kept Brighton’s summer signing Mats Wieffer out of the side with a series of strong performances at the base of midfield.

Still well short of his prime, the Cameroonian midfielder is already giving Thomas Partey a run for his money according to stat site FBRef.

Carlos Baleba vs Thomas Partey 24/25 Premier League

Carlos Baleba

Thomas Partey

Appearances

7

8

Shots on target per 90

0.55

0.25

Shot creating actions per 90

2.93

1.78

Tackles and interceptions per 90

5.09

4.18

Progressive passes per 90

5.45

5.57

Carries into the final third

1.82

0.89

Pass accuracy %

88.5%

87.5%

Key to Brighton’s high-flying form, which sees them just two points behind the Gunners, a move in January seems almost certain to be off the cards, with a summer deal far more likely. However, he won’t come cheaply, with the Seagulls having developed a reputation to extracting the maximum fee possible for their players, something that Chelsea have found out with both Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo.

Should he continue to impress, he could be a costly signing, but one that sets Arsenal’s midfield up for the next decade and seamlessly replaces the departing Partey.

Manchester United has been the home to numerous legendary talents over the years, many of which have captured the hearts of the supporters during their time at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo undoubtedly will have been the biggest name to many of the younger generation, scoring 145 times in 346 appearances during two separate spells for the Red Devils.

The Portuguese international enjoyed a largely more successful spell in the Premier League, earning him a £80m transfer to Real Madrid – a then world-record transfer fee.

Wayne Rooney was another talent who impressed in the North West, featuring for the club over a 13-year period – playing a huge part in the success that saw various Premier League triumphs.

The now 39-year-old still remains the club’s all-time leading goalscoring with his tally of 253 goals during his time at Old Trafford.

However, there was an iconic group of players who really set the ball rolling for success under Sir Alex Ferguson back in the 1990s.

David Beckham’s stats for Manchester United

Graduating as part of the Class of 92, midfielder David Beckham quickly impressed in the first-team setup at United, bringing a different dimension to the squad.

The Englishman wasn’t your ordinary midfielder at that time, with his technique and quality on the ball catching the eye and allowing him to stand out in the 90s.

He became infamous for his set-piece ability, often picking out the top corner from free-kicks or even laying the ball on a plate for a teammate to find the back of the net – playing a huge role in the various successes during that era.

Beckham would go on to make 390 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 85 times and registering 121 assists – including his sensational halfway-line strike against Wimbledon back in 1996.

However, he would subsequently leave Old Trafford in July 2003, joining European giants Real Madrid after a previous attempt by the club to offload him against his will.

Since his departure, there have been very few who can match his technique ability, but the Red Devils may have made a mistake in allowing one talent to depart given his similarities to the iconic fan favourite.

The man who Ten Hag may have sold too soon

Given the quality of young talent coming through the Carrington academy setup, former boss Erik ten Hag found it difficult to balance his big-money additions along with youth prospects.

This was demonstrated in the form of midfielder James Garner, with the academy graduate departing Old Trafford after multiple loan spells at Nottingham Forest under Steve Cooper.

After joining the Red Devils as an eight-year-old, he would only go on to make a total of seven first-team appearances, before joining Everton for just £9m back in the summer of 2022.

He’s impressed for the Toffees since his move making 66 appearances, featuring in a variety of positions such as a wide midfielder or even as a right-back, but has still impressed regardless of his role.

Games played

4

Minutes played

251

Crosses completed

0.72

Successful dribbles

0.72

Tackles won

2.9

Tackle success rate

80%

Duels won

13

Recoveries made

5

This season alone, the 23-year-old has won 80% of tackles he’s attempted whilst also winning 13 duels – showcasing that he can do both sides of the game and operate in a box-to-box role.

Former Manchester City ace Trevor Sinclair claimed that ‘James Garner’s deliveries remind me of David Beckham’s’ with his whip and dip causing the opposition countless problems.

Given the issues in the midfield of late with Casemiro’s lack of form along with Kobbie Mainoo’s injury concerns, Garner could’ve been of use to new boss Ruben Amorim after his appointment, but he won’t get to utilise him given his transfer away from Manchester.

It’s great to see an academy star excelling in the Premier League, but it must be a shame to see them doing so away from their boyhood club, with Garner potentially another who has slipped through their net.

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